Bon Mots on Shows

BY Jenn Q. Goddu

In January, I started a list intended to succinctly capture a typical year in a Chicago theatre critic’s viewing. One problem? I moved away in July. Yet this flashback represents the early offerings, the ones more distant from the minds of this issue’s other contributors. Looking at it again only made me miss the city’s theatre even more—but for you, dear reader, I was willing to manage my pain. Enjoy.

500 Clown Macbeth: A great show but where was the new risk or opportunity for improv? 6/16

Actual Size: Jeff Madden’s mildly amusing slice of life observations don’t merit an entire show. 6/3

Another Day in the Empire: Caustic dark comedy centered on Kevin Stark’s hilarious tailspin of despair. 3/11

Bartleby, the Scrivener: Organic Theatre Company adds vaudeville antics to Melville’s story in an inventive adaptation. 3/16

Between Barack and a Hard Place: Some truly funny scenes amidst all the Barack, Barack, Barack stuff. 3/23

Bingo: Some truly funny Forbidden Broadway-style moments in a show tackling too many plot points. 3/26

Blues for an Alabama Sky: Great cast made us truly care about Pearl Cleage’s characters in Eclipse’s funny and dramatic Harlem Renaissance play. 3/18

Checking Out: The Chick Magnets accurately portray lesbian life in Chicagoland, but need to focus more. 4/11

Choice: Earnest and well-intentioned pro-abortion script plays as a student’s senior project. 1/21

Criminal Hearts: Apple Tree renders Jane Martin’s mildly funny play even more unconvincing and bland. 6/30

Disposable Nation: A return visit shows e.t.c. ensemble losing energy, but the material’s still hilarious. 4/28

Don Wisconsin: Sprawling musical with silly comedy, too many plot points and characters developed far beyond merit. 5/11

Faith Healer: Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set put Uma’s audience in close quarters for strong performances of Friel’s monologues. 1/14

Fire On the Mountain: Awkward storytelling yet the bluegrass singing, fiddling and guitar picking are fun at Northlight. 5/19

Forbidden Broadway: The Off-Broadway cast belts out musical satire as if Broadway headliners in this non-stop funny revue. 4/28

Fraternal Instinct: Dull central performance and clunky script make for a slow show, despite Rawson Vint and Christine Cummings strong supporting turns. 3/25

(gasp): Hilarious one-woman sketch show with Dina Facklis performing each character with complete conviction. 7/1

Girl in the Iron Mask: Good idea doesn’t get all the way there as Babes with Blades gives Dumas’ classic a feminist spin. 3/12

Gray City: Great performances in smart new play by Keith Huff that, regrettably, ends up straining credibility. 2/26

The Homage that Follows: Only Erica Peregrine’s performance stands out in Mark Medoff’s play sapped of tension by Infamous Commonwealth Theatre. 3/3

I Sailed with Magellan: Lance Baker, Marc Grapey and Laura Scheinbaum’s performances, and Victory Gardens’ fun with its new stage, can’t carry this Claudia Allen adaptation of Stuart Dybek stories. 6/26

The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow: Stellar performances, particularly by Jennifer Shin, cap Collaboraction’s production of a fun, fascinating script. 4/14

Living in the Wind: The actors might enjoy all their former slave reminiscing monologues, but we’d rather witness the actions so vividly recalled. 5/24

Lunatic(a)s: Teatro Luna’s bold, often funny, ambitious collection of true-life Latina stories falters with a dramatic tone change at the end. 6/8

The Meek: Brett Neveu’s odd and deliberately elusive work about the power of fear rendered meek and low energy. 5/4

Mirror of the Invisible World: Familiar Mary Zimmerman storytelling techniques and visually stunning stagecraft combine with Goodman big budget for great effect. 7/2

Mrs. Warren’s Profession: Fine performances brighten this Shavian classic even if it lacks contemporary resonance. 3/11

Oedipus Complex: A visually stunning and gripping modernized retelling of the Oedipus story from Frank Galati at Goodman. 5/7

Oklahoma!: Singing isn’t the greatest but acting is strong, dancing fun, and staging inventive in this stripped-down version of the classic musical. 2/4

One Flew Over Cuckoo’s Nest: Strong acting in Open Eye’s rendition of the familiar play, only the production lacks dramatic tension overall. 7/8

Othello: The women steal the show since Writers’ Michael Halberstam gets caught up in directorial concept, and Othello and Iago are stuck in a soap opera. 5/25

Otherwise Engaged: British banter rendered without wit at Actors’ Workshop. 2/2

Otherwise Engaged: Steep brings good energy and more edge to Simon Gray’s language-loving comedy. 2/16

Penchants and Fantasies: Two one-acts of uneven quality but ultimately the evening’s observations of lesbian couplings is one of more entertaining Bailiwick has staged of late. 5/3

The Piano Tuner: Cramped staging and underdeveloped characters hinder Lifeline’s visually inventive and fleet adaptation of Daniel Mason’s novel. 2/12

Pratfall of Civilization: Perhaps not as cutting edge as in past, but familiar cast still makes us laugh. 7/8

Public Isolation: Good intentions are obvious but impact is muted in Jami Primmer’s slice-of-life-in-Humboldt-Park show. 1/4

Pulp: This campy, melodramatic and film noir-ish play based on lesbian pulp fiction is deservedly remounted by About Face. 5/6

The Puppetmaster of Lodz: Larry Neumann Jr. impresses again accomplishing amazing tenderness interacting primarily with puppets in a stirring, if sometimes slow, Writers’ production. 4/15

Rabbit Hole: A departure for David Lindsay-Abaire but I missed his old stuff. Especially with only actress Amy Warren doing anything exciting on stage. 3/20.

Radio Golf: Hassan El-Amin and John Earl Jelks’ performances stand out on David Gallo’s gorgeous grimy set as backdrop for Wilson’s patter and poetry. 1/22

Refugee Girls Club: Material doesn’t live up to a promising American Girl parody premise. 6/16

The Sparrow: House team’s talents and storytelling techniques come together in stellar service of a lovely and affecting tale of grief and longing. 1/26

Stop Kiss: Stop. Breathe. Rushed Raven production strips Diana Son’s play of most of its sweetness. 1/28

That’s Weird, Grandma: This show can always be counted on to prompt plenty of out loud laughs. 5/21

Three Musketeers: Keen sense of swashbuckling adventure in Chicago Shakespeare world premiere, yet Musketeers and their songs don’t stick with you long. 1/3

Trouble the Water: Jogging our memories of Hurricane Katrina isn’t enough as Shepsu Aahku’s MPAACT play ineffectively washes over us. 5/18

Water: Alice Austen’s world premiere at Chicago Dramatists touches on modern concerns and makes us laugh occasionally yet lacks overall tension. 4/27

Young Playwright’s Festival: Young promise is well-demonstrated by enthusiastic adult actors, yet only one script moves past adolescent concerns. 1/8

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